Looking for something new to do this summer? Here's some ideas

Summer means sunshine and swimming, baseball and barbecues, flip-flops and festivals, but you already know about those things. Why not try something new this year? Instead of the same old same old, check out a few novelties that are slated to make their debut in Chicago and the suburbs in the next few months. Don't forget your sandals and sunscreen.

Lake County FieldersHe's hoping that as he builds it, you will come. Kevin Costner, "Field of Dreams" star and co-owner of the Lake County Fielders new minor league baseball team, isn't actually out there laying the foundation, but his athletes are ready to play ball, even if they have to do it in a stadium under construction.The Fielders are building a new ballpark in Zion that is scheduled to be ready - or at least playable - by June 11. Even if everything is not completely finished, temporary seating will be in place for fans to cheer on the newest boys of summer, says Beth Alderson, a team spokeswoman.The Fielders, an independent team in the Northern League, will have former college players and some who have been drafted but released swinging for the fences.The Fielders aim to provide a family-friendly experience, so expect between-inning activities like dizzy bat races and kid-centered lures on Sunday like inflatable structures to bounce on and magicians, Alderson said.As for getting the attention of moms, if home runs aren't enough, well that's where Costner might come in. No promises on seeing the actor, Alderson says, "but we've been telling people to expect him at a few games."Six Flags Great AmericaThe rides at this bastion of fun always make for a good time, but this year brings a few extra reasons to head out to the Gurnee park: a new parade, a classic roller coaster and the addition of a live-action, interactive game that will have players battling dragons and goblins.The Glow in the Park night parade debuts May 29 and runs through Aug. 15. It features five lighted floats and more than 60 singers, dancers, drummers, puppeteers and stilt walkers all performing to music inspired by Cirque du Soleil. The 30-minute parade starts in Hometown Square and winds its way through different areas on the grounds.Also fresh at the park is the Little Dipper roller coaster, the wooden favorite brought over from Kiddieland Amusement Park after it closed in 2009. The family-friendly coaster features a figure-eight track with a three-story-tall lift hill. "People who rode it 50 years ago can bring their grandchildren here and experience the same thing," said Jennifer Dugan-Savage, Great America spokeswoman.Another new attraction is MagiQuest, a 10,000-square-foot area in which players use a "magical" wand (which works via wireless remote technology) to unlock more than 80 special effects to navigate through game levels in a quest to defeat the dragon and save the princess. Players are helped along by a kindly wizard and other magical creatures visible through video screens. Though the adventure is pegged to children aged 6 to 12, there is a bit of a learning curve and may be most fun for teens and older.Chicago SkyThey've been bringing the action since 2006, but this year the women of the WNBA's Chicago Sky are changing venues and will start hooping it up in the suburbs.After playing for four years at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion, the team is moving to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont."We wanted to be more centrally located to more people and more families," said Margaret Stender, Sky president. "Everybody's heard of it or has been there."Stender added that the Allstate Arena offers a more professional setting and amenities.Stender says that Sky fans are as rabid as those of other professional sports teams, but acknowledges that more people need to become aware of how exciting and even inspirational women's basketball is. "It is world-class female athletes and it's highly competitive," she said, but more than that, "We wrap lots of family entertainment around it. The number one thing people say to me is, 'I had no idea it was this fun. I had no idea the athletes were this good.'"Girls of all ages will be inspired, she said. And boys and men also can learn a thing or two while enjoying the high level of competition. "It's really important for boys to see that," Stender says.Opening night festivities on May 22 will include an outdoor festival if the weather cooperates.Great Bear WildernessSome of the animals at the Brookfield Zoo are now calling a different place home, and they hope you'll come visit them in their expansive new environment. Built over two years at a cost of $27.3 million, the just-opened Great Bear Wilderness is where you'll find bison, bald eagles, ravens, wolves and, of course, bears, all species that are iconic to North America.The exhibit, intended to mimic a National Park experience, features 31,500 new plantings which replicate temperate forest, prairie and tundra landscapes.Areas for the grizzly and polar bears are now three times the size of their former home, and are equipped with pools sloshing with about 80,000 gallons of water and a 15-foot-high waterfall. Visitors for the first time will be able to see the bears from an underwater viewing area. "You can get nose to nose with a polar bear," said Sondra Katzen, zoo spokeswoman.Ultimately, zoo officials hope people will get a better appreciation for the necessity of conservation. "We hope people are awe-struck and want to make a difference," Katzen said. "It's not too late to make changes to your everyday lifestyle. We can help preserve these animals and their habitats."Broadway in ChicagoThis summer brings an opportunity to check out two shows new to the area. "Shrek The Musical," starring everyone's favorite green ogre, and "Fuerza Bruta," billed as a mash-up between aerial theater and a late-night dance party, both hit the Windy City for summer engagements."You know for sure you're going to have fun," said Eileen LaCario, vice president of Broadway in Chicago, which is bringing the performances to town."Shrek," which kicks off its national tour here after a stint on Broadway, tells the tale of the ogre, Donkey, Princess Fiona and other characters from the animated movie as they battle the scheming Lord Farquaad, but expands on what you've already seen by including details such as Shrek as a child. Appropriate for kids at a PG level and adults who don't mind some potty humor, the musical brings new tunes, flashy sets and the requisite happy ending.While "Shrek" will be familiar to most, "Fuerza Bruta" is more unusual. "It's engaging," LaCario said. "It's happening all around you.""Fuerza Bruta" turns the stage into an alternate universe filled with flying performers, pumping beats, dream sequences and a swimming pool above the heads of the audience, who are seated onstage in the middle of the action. Theatergoers will see such spectacles as a man running full throttle on a giant treadmill and bursting through a series of moving walls and performers suspended in midair surrounded by a sea of mylar.False990622Great America's Glow in the Park night parade debuts on May 29.Tomasz RossaFalse